ASMP Legends

Editor’s Note: Documentary photographer and former ASMP Member Robert Frank died this week at the age of 94. The following book review appeared in The New York Times on the 50th anniversary of his book’s publication. Cross-posted from LensCulture [by Jim Casper] This is the photo book that redefined what a photo book could be — personal, poetic, real. First published in 1959, Robert Frank’s masterpiece still holds up — the selection of photos, and…

Editor’s Note: Robert Frank was a former ASMP Member. Cross-posted from The New York Times [by Philip Gefter] Robert Frank, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, whose visually raw and personally expressive style was pivotal in changing the course of documentary photography, died on Monday in Inverness, on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. He was 94. His death, at Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital, was confirmed by Peter MacGill, whose Pace-MacGill Gallery…

Editor’s Note: The late Weegee (Arthur Fellig) was an ASMP Member. Cross-posted from FStoppers [by Mike Smith] The cult of celebrity is alive and kicking, now seemingly the domain of the “influencer”. However history is littered with photographers who attained celebrity status — step back 80 years and Weegee made the unusual step from press photographer to, well, influencer! This was long after the second of our two articles, which looks at the wet collodion…

Editor’s Note: Margaret Bourke-White was an ASMP Life Member. Cross-posted from The Atlantic. [By Alan Taylor] “Margaret Bourke-White was born in New York City in 1904, and grew up in rural New Jersey. She went on to study science and art at multiple universities in the United States from 1921 to 1927, then began a successful run as an industrial photographer, making notable images of factories and skyscrapers in the late 1920s. By 1929, she…

Editor’s Note: Legendary photographer Ansel Adams was an ASMP Member. Cross-posted from PhotoShelter Blog [by Allen Murabayashi] Thirty-five years after his death, Ansel Adams is still one of the most popular (and most searched) photographers. He spent a lifetime creating some of the iconic images in the history of photography primarily using an 8×10 camera and black-and-white film. He developed the Zone System with Fred Archer, wrote numerous books, vigorously corresponded with contemporary artists, and…

Editor’s Note: The late Arthur Fellig was an ASMP Member. Cross-posted from Lit Hub. [by Christopher Bonanos] Weegee, now hugely famous for his urban, and especially, crime, photos, was part yet not a part of his local New York photography world in the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. He needed the help and association of his colleagues to become who we know him to be today. How Arthur Fellig Became the Legendary Street Photographer Weegee

Cross-posted from ISO 1200 [by All About Street Photography] Editor’s Note: The late Dorothea Lange was an ASMP Member. Today All About Street Photography wants to talk about an Iconic image of Florence Owens Thompson know as the Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange. He is going to take a closer look at the composition as well as at the story behind the photograph. Read more

Editor’s Note: The late W. Eugene Smith was an ASMP Member. Cross-posted from PDNPulse [by Greg Scoblete] In 1948, W. Eugene Smith was commissioned by Life Magazine to profile Dr. Ernest Guy Ceriani, a traveling doctor who provided 24-hour care to residents of the small town of Kremmling, in the Rocky Mountains. As Magnum notes, the series “is widely regarded as representing a definitive moment in the history of photojournalism.” Part of its power lies in Smith’s “wallpaper”…

Editor’s Note: The late W. Eugene Smith was an ASMP Member. Cross-posted from ISO 1200 Today “All About Street Photography” would like to talk about American photojournalist described as “perhaps the single most important American photographer in the development of the editorial photo essay.” The man who shot photo projects so large that they can not be displayed in any museum. Lets talk about brilliant photographer William Eugene Smith. Read more

Editor’s Note: Fine arts photographer Edward Weston was an ASMP Member. Cross-posted from ISO 1200 We’re bringing you the final installment of our Edward Weston legacy series from 1948. Weston was one of the masters of 20th century photography. This segment covers how he processed his photos in his darkroom and discusses some of his inspirations for his photography. So join me again as we step back in time to explore the world of Edward Weston. Read…